An American in Paris Reviews 3 Buzzed-About French Films

As a special treat for area film (and Oscar) buffs, our Paris correspondent (yes, we have one of those!) reviews three French films that have been or will be released in the US, one of which has generated Oscar buzz. All, she reports, are well worth watching.

Here’s hoping they make it to a theater near us … or at least into our fabulous library’s collection!

By Alysa Salzberg

The Artist

Hollywood’s transition from silent films to talkies provides the context for this movie, which opened in the US in late November, with accompanying Oscar buzz. It tells the fictional story of George Valentin, a silent film star who refuses to act in the new talkies. The surprise element is that in addition to being about silent films, “The Artist” is a silent film.

The movie’s stars shine in challenging roles. This year’s Cannes Film Festival Best Actor winner, Jean Dujardin—a beloved actor here in France—does an excellent job portraying Valentin. Bérénice Bejo, who plays the movie’s heroine, is a beautiful woman, but she’s also an ace at physical comedy and silent emoting.

And let’s not forget the dog! In his films and everyday life, Valentin is always accompanied by a spunky, smart Jack Russell, who often steals the show. Uggy, the primary canine actor in the role, was awarded the “Palme Dog,” a prize for the best dog in a film featured at Cannes. I had no idea dogs could win awards at Cannes, but Uggy definitely deserved it.

For all my enthusiasm, though, I don’t think the movie is perfect. Valentin’s reason for refusing to act in talkies is a bit confusing. Maybe this aspect of the story is left deliberately vague, but the movie’s title seems to imply some sort of fight for artistic belief and integrity. While he does fleetingly mention something like this at one point, Valentin seems more like a happy-go-lucky hero than a brooding thespian.

Overall, what makes “The Artist” a challenge to watch is also what makes it worth watching. Though I love silent films, it’s strange to see such a long silent film in a theater, and some of the people in the seats around me nodded off. But the payoff is that viewers truly get to experience what it was like to go to the cinema a century ago and watch a movie where no one talks. While the scenes that work show that some experiences transcend language, viewers also understand more than ever why most people were thrilled when movies could include spoken dialogue.

The Artist is a great film for people fascinated by cinema history, for fans of quality acting, and for anyone looking for a very different kind of movie experience.

Click here to watch the trailer.

Intouchables

Recently purchased for international distribution by The Weinstein Company and scheduled for release in the US next summer, this film is a box office smash in France.

Based on a true story, it tells the tale of Philippe Pozzo di Borgo, a wealthy quadriplegic (played by François Cluzet), and his new live-in assistant, Driss (played by comedian Omar Sy). The movie’s title comes from the fact that both men are from groups (the disabled, troubled inner city youth) that society as a whole often has trouble facing.

The movie has gained notoriety for its open attitude toward its main characters: neither is safe from jokes about his situation. The movie could have veered into unfunny, awkward territory. It could even have been racist, as this New York Times article implies. But like the millions of French people who’ve gone to see it, I found “Intouchables” to be smart, stylish, and moving (and not at all racist). For me, it wasn’t about the surface roles these men play in each other’s existence, nor about the color of their skin or the state of their bodies. It was a story about friendship, and how two people sometimes end up in each other’s lives and cause everything to change.

Click here to watch the trailer.

A Monster in Paris

Geared toward an international audience, this animated, family film isn’t 100 percent French, though it was produced by Luc Besson's EuropaCorp and created primarily by a French team of animators, effects companies, and musicians. Directed by Bibo Bergeron, the man who made Shark Tale, this is a completely different kind of movie.

In 1910, a large part of Paris was flooded. The film uses this event as a pivotal plot element in its story about Lucille, a cabaret singer (voiced by Vanessa Paradis), and Raoul and Emile, two bumbling friends who accidentally transform a flea into a "monster," named Francoeur, who is actually harmless and has a great singing voice. Matthieu Chedid (alias M), an eccentric French pop singer who also wrote the film’s music, brings the character to life. Together, Lucille and Francoeur become a cabaret hit. But a politician who’s sworn to destroy Francoeur is hot on their trail.

The movie’s animation is nowhere near as slick as, say, that of a Pixar production. But the background, story, and music make for a wonderful viewing experience for adults and kids alike.

Click here to watch the trailer or to listen to "La Seine," a song from the movie (English subtitles included).

Alysa Salzberg is a writer and teacher living in Paris. This story was adapted from a longer piece on her wildly popular Open Salon blog, whose charming posts on Parisian life are frequent “Editor’s Picks.” She is also Editor-in-Chief of Beguile, a literary e-zine.